3.2.4 Effect of plateau pika disturbance intensity on soil
organic carbon stock
Accounting for an overall scale effect, the soil organic carbon stock
showed a significant unimodal curvilinearity as the disturbance
intensity increased (Figure. 9A). Considering site-scale effects, the
soil organic carbon stock also showed significant unimodal
curvilinearity at each site with increasing disturbance intensity
(Figure. 9B).
3.2.5 Effects of plateau pika disturbance intensity on soil
total nitrogen, phosphorus andpotassium stocks
When data from the five sites were analyzed together, the soil total
nitrogen (Figure 10A), phosphorus (Figure. 11A) and potassium (Figure.
12A) stocks increased and then decreased as the disturbance intensity
increased.
When data from each site were analyzed separately, the relationship
between the disturbance intensity and soil total nitrogen (Figure. 10B)
and phosphorus (Figure. 11B) stocks was similar at each site, in
agreement with the overall scale effect, whereas the relationship
between the disturbance intensity and soil total potassium stock was
different among five sites, in which the response of soil total
potassium stock to the disturbance intensity was similar to the overall
scale effect at Luqu and Gonghe (Figure. 12B), whereas it showed no
obvious trends at Gangcha, Haiyan and Qilian as the disturbance
intensity increased.